In a sign that the global economic slump may be easing, Toyota Motor Corp says it plans to restart its weekend production from July for the first time in six months, to handle the significant demand for the new Prius hybrid vehicle.

In May, Toyota decided to increase the production of its new Prius, by around 20 per cent from around 42,000 to about 50,000 units per month, requiring enhanced production timings for which the Japanese car maker introduced overtime in June at its two factories at Kariya and Toyota where the Prius is manufactured. (See: Toyota raises production targets for Prius 2010)